Being the Church
God has been gathering His Church together for a long time. He calls people out of darkness and brings them into the light of Christ Jesus. God washes people with the water and Word of Holy Baptism. He says: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!” Isaiah 43:1. Jesus also says: “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draw him; and I will raise him up on the last day” John 6:44. Salvation is totally God’s doing. We in Christ Jesus are the blessed recipients of His grace and mercy! The Church is the called out in Christ Jesus.
The Church is not only the called out but is also the called together as the body of Christ. We have 119 congregations made up of the called out and the called together here in Iowa District East. It is there where God is doing His work through Word and Sacrament. He calls Pastor’s to faithfully discharge the duties of the Office of Holy Ministry.
God’s people are gathered in the Divine Service to be forgiven, fed, and sent back out into the real world. The Divine Service is not about what we are doing but rather about what God is doing for us. Note the rhythm of this as stated in the our new hymnal the Lutheran Service Book:
"Our Lord serves us today through His holy Word and Sacraments. Through these means, He comes among us to deliver His forgiveness and salvation, freeing us from our sins and strengthening us for service to one another and to the world. At Holy Baptism, He puts His name upon us, pours His Holy Spirit into our hearts, and rescues us from sin, death, and the devil. Through Holy Absolution, He pronounces His forgiveness again. With His holy Word, written in Scripture and preached into our ears, He daily proclaims His abiding love for us through all the joys and sorrows of this world. In His Holy Supper, He gives us His own body and blood to eat and drink as a priceless gift to nourish and strengthen us in both body and soul" (p. viii).
Our response to that is:
"The Lord’s service calls forth our service – in sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving to Him and in loving service to one another. Having been called, gathered, enlightened, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit, we receive His gifts with thankfulness and praise. With psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, we joyfully confess all that God has done for us, declaring the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light" (p. viii).
We are gathered and then we are scattered back out into the real world where we live out our Baptism each day interacting with many people through our various vocations. That is our mission field. That is where God has us functioning as salt and light to serve our neighbor. It is there that we have opportunity to “tell others what Jesus did for us.”
We are then re-gathered each Lord’s Day. We have the privilege of getting to invite and bring people to the Divine Service. Our Pastor’s can then instruct and baptize people into Christ Jesus. That is being the Church!
